FAQs
What are the best colours for breakout furniture?
The good news is that modern breakout canteen furniture is available in a huge number of colours to match any existing workspace or canteen decor, from neutrals to pastels to bright primary hues. A good tip for maximum accessibility is to ensure that your furniture colour scheme can easily be distinguished from the floor and walls.
This allows people with impaired sight to easily navigate around your breakout space.
Which are the best materials for a breakout sofa?
It’s important in high traffic areas like workplaces to make sure that your furniture is commercial grade. Modern commercial fabrics are extremely hard wearing and can withstand high levels of wear and tear. Top tip: make sure that the fabric has a rub rate (abrasion resistance) test of more than 100,000.
For ease of cleaning and in spaces where people are eating and drinking, consider wipe-clean faux leather or vinyl finishes.
How many sofas do I need for 60 people?
To seat 60 people you’ll need 30 of our two seater sofas or 20 three seater sofas. In an ideal world you’ll have sufficient seating for all staff, but we understand that you may be limited by space or budget. That’s why our modular sofas are available as slot together ranges without arms to maximise seating space. Ask us about our expert space planning services - you’ll be surprised at how much you can fit in.
If the backs and/or the sides of sofas and armchairs are above user head height then yes, they can certainly help to reduce noise. They do this by ‘cocooning’ people and providing an acoustic buffer - ideal in busy open plan spaces where noisy conversations and phone calls can bounce off hard surfaces. They also help to increase privacy and reduce distractions in shared spaces.
Will I need power sockets in a breakout area?
Is there anywhere in the modern workplace where people don’t need power sockets? People need to charge phones, laptops and other devices, whether on their breaks or in meetings Breakout spaces will normally also be used as quiet spaces for work or to make calls.
Power and data connections can be incorporated into sofa arms, fronts or sides. Plug sockets can even be built into canteen or side table tops.
What percentage of tables to sofas do I need in a staff breakout space?
This can vary depending on how you envisage your staff using the space - is it purely for rest periods and breaks or do you need a flexible space that functions as a place to relax as well as an additional work and meeting area? The ideal ratio for a multifunctional space would be around 40% tables and chairs and 60% soft seating such as sofas.
What’s the best type of seating for a staff breakout kitchen?
A 300cm canteen table and benches will seat the largest amount of people using the smallest amount of space. For more casual seating arrangements our modular sofas can be moved around or added to at a later date so it is easy to increase the seating as the company grows.
How should I plan an accessible breakout space?
Always consider accessibility for staff members and visitors when planning any office space. If you include employees in the design process from the earliest stages they will be able to advise you on their preferred access requirements - for instance, height adjustable desks and easy to reach plug sockets can make daily tasks easier for physically disabled employees. Employees with hidden disabilities may benefit from access to quieter spaces.
Walkways should be a minimum of 90cm with at least 150cm passing place so that a wheelchair user can easily pass someone coming in the opposite direction. If you have an employee who uses a wheelchair, take their advice first - wheelchairs come in many different shapes and sizes these days and some are easier to manoeuvre than others. Arrange breakout furniture so that all staff or visitors can easily eat, drink and join groups and conversations without feeling isolated but also have equal opportunities for privacy.
For soft seating areas consider using sofas with one arm with at least a 45cm high seat. For eating areas make sure the ends of tables have a sufficient overhang of 70cm for wheelchair users. Eating tables should be at a minimum height of 72cm. Consider staff breakout tables with rounded corners rather than sharp angles.
